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175 
a^ipear beft to anfvver this intent, without cbtifining my ftUV every 
iiiflancc, to a rigid and ferupulous arrangement into diftind; heads. 
The mhabltants of the Rsjang country live in villages or dsojmiSy ^^^^^'^ 
each under the government of a magiHrate ftykd Dupaiiy. His depen- M^i^S"^ 
dants are termed Ana-hasa^^ and in number feldom exceed one hundred. 
A certain proportion of the dupattlcs belonging to each river; the vU- 
Uges being al\\rajrs fituatcd by the water Cde j-f- are chofen to- meet in; 
a legiflative or judicial capacity, at the qualke or river's mouth, and 
thefe are diftingulihed by the name of Frcaiteefh The Pmgcran or J^^^f*^*^ 
prince of the country, prefides over the whole. I would point out in 
what confifts the fealty of a dupaity to a faagtran^^xiA of his ana -bam to 
him J but fb very little is to be obferved in either cafe, that it is not aa 
eafy matter to defcribe it. Almofl without arts, and with but Htrle in- 
duftry, the ftatc of property is nearly equal among all the inhabitants, 
and the chiefs fcarcely differ but in title, from the bulk of the people. 
Their authority is no more than nominal, being without that coercive His authority^ 
power; . neceflTary to make themfel vcs feared and implicitly obeyed. 
This is the natural refult of poverty among nations habituated to peace 1 
where the two great political engines of intereft and military force are 
wanting. Their government is founded in opinion, and the fubmilTion 
of the people is voluntary. The domeftic rule of a private family, beyond 
a doubt, fuggelled ftrft the idea of government in ibciety, and this people 
having made but fmall advances in civil policy, theirs retains a flrong 
refemb lance of its original. It is conned:ed alfo with the principle of 
the feudal fyftem, into which it would probably fettle, fliould it attain to 
a greater degree of refinement* Ail the other governments throughout 
the Ifland, are likewife a mixture of the patriarchal and feudal ; and it 
m^y be obferved, that where a fpirit of conqueft has reduced the inha- 
* Apparencljr 3 figujcativc exftrcifio:), from fruit bangijig oa ai tt^e* 
f The names wjiich we ufually apply to countries or dlilrifils, belong properly to the river^ 
and it il, wirh the nativef, more common to fay, the people of fuch a.river, tlian of futh a cotiti-* ' 
try. Riven In Europe divide frovincef^ but in Indm chey are coniidefed ai fonning thi^ugh di« . 
center of Uumi 
Y y bitants 
